Between the Covers with:
Jackie Braun

       One of our recently-published authors is celebrating two unique firsts in her life: the publication of her first book, One Fiance to Go, Please, a Silhouette Romance, and the arrival of her first child, Daniel! Jackie Braun Fridline has a degree in journalism from Central Michigan University. She's won several awards for her editorials at the Flint Journal but in her off hours, she prefers writing fiction to opining on facts. She and her husband, Mark live in Flushing

   A new book and a new baby: Does life get any better... or more chaotic? How are you handling it?

       I don't return to work until Jan. 2, so I've kind of put off thinking about how stressful my life will become. For the first couple of weeks, I barely felt like I was keeping my head above water, and I have a dream child who sleeps through the night and rarely fusses during the day. My husband and I are planning to build a house, possibly breaking ground later this month. Stress will be my middle name through most of the winter.

   As a new mom, how are you wedging in time to work on your next book?

       I try to write in the morning before he wakes up. He goes down around 11 p.m. and wakes up between 9a.m. and 10 a.m. (Told you he was a dream.)

   As a new author, what are you doing to reach the readers?

       Unfortunately, I'm not doing as much as I would like. I wouldn't trade a minute of this Mommy business since I waited nearly sever years for it, but I wish I had more time to dedicate to my book promotion. I did go to GLBA, where I gave away copies of my books, and I have two book signings planned. In the meantime, my sister Donna and sister-in-law have sort of put themselves in charge of promotion. Donna made up cute little baskets and cards with my book title on them, and gave them away at my family's baby shower. She and my other sister also took them to work and passed them out. My sister-in-law printed up a bunch of wonderful bookmarks with Daniel's picture and vitals on the front. On the back she had him announcing his mommy's first sale. These were given out at another shower. (The door prize was a signed copy of my book - not my idea, although I did nothing to discourage it.) Neither of these efforts might seem like a big deal, but keep in mind that my husband and I have HUGE families.

   Has coming from a journalism background helped or hindered your fiction writing?

        It's been both blessing and curse. The mantra of journalism is: keep it short. Adjectives are usually the first casualties. This is not a good thing when it comes to writing fiction. On the flip side, however, my editing skills have helped me turn in cleaner copy to MY editor, which I'm sure she appreciates. Plus, I'm good at meeting deadlines.

   How long had you been writing toward fiction publication? How did your Big Break happen?

       I wrote my first book in elementary school and decided to become a writer when I grew up. Then, I got smart and focused on journalism, preferring a steady paycheck and benefits. In the early '90s, I decided to try my hand at a romance novel. It took SIX YEARS to finish it. I had no discipline. I kept waiting for my muse. Then I joined RWA, went to Anaheim and realized that everything I'd written was -excuse me-crap, so I decided to write a smaller book. I finished One Finance to Go, Please in two months. Two years later, it's on the bookshelves. No real secret; I just didn't give up. I kept sending it out and reworking it until I made the sale.

   In your opinion, what's the most important element in a romance?

       The characters and the sexual tension. I've read books that didn't have the greatest plots, but I kept turning the pages because I cared about the characters and wanted to see them get their happy ending.

    What has RWA^®/MMRWA done toward helping you reach your writing goal?

       I can't say enough. I'd still be getting form rejections if I hadn't gone to National in '98 and realized I didn't have a clue. Then, there's the friendship and the fellowship of being with other people who share your dream. Last year, when you guys toasted me at Retreat, I was so moved. It was great to share this milestone with people who truly understand what it means.

   What surprises have you received since getting published that you wish you'd been better prepared for?

       I didn't have a clue about promotion, nor did I think I'd feel this much pressure. It's been a rocky road since I got the call. Less than two months later, my brother passed away. Seven months after that, we got our son. These life-altering events definitely affected the way I thought about my writing.

   What advice do you have for hopeful writers?

       Don't give up. Keep trying to improve. Surround yourself with supportive people who will politely tell you the truth about your writing. The best advice I got was to pay attention to POV changes. I was quite a head-hopper. The worst was from someone at national who advised not to join a local chapter because people could be so negative and nasty in critiques. I haven't found that to be the case.

   Do you have an agent? A critique group?

       Neither, although my sister Donna reads most of my stuff She's willing to tell me the truth when something doesn't work.

   What's next for Jackie Braun?

       I'm currently on chapter seven of a rough draft for Silhouette Romance. It's a project my editor and I spoke about at National. I had a nearly completed manuscript that would have been more suitable for Desire, but we decided to shelve it for now. I may wind up rewriting it for Romance. It's important to build a reader base - something I didn't think about when I wrote it. I'm also trying to sell my single title. Never give up -remember? I see myself moving to romantic suspense in the future. I think I'll probably stay in the romance genre. What can I say? I like happy endings!

Read Jackie's newsletter article, To Persevere...Is To Publish! on our Newsletter Article page!